DRDO conducts maiden flight-test of phase-II ballistic missile defense interceptor

India has successfully conducted the maiden flight test of the Phase-II Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) interceptor AD-1 missile.

About AD (Air Defense)-1:

• The AD-1 is a long-range interceptor missile.
• AD-1 is a unique type of interceptor with advanced technologies available with only a very few nations in the world.
• It is designed for both low exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric interception of long-range ballistic missiles as well as aircraft.
• It is propelled by a two-stage solid motor and equipped with an indigenously-developed advanced control system, navigation, and guidance algorithm to precisely guide the vehicle to the target.
  
  

About the flight test:

• During the flight test, all the sub-systems performed as per expectations.
• The same was validated by the data captured by several range sensors including Radar, Telemetry, and Electro-Optical Tracking stations deployed to capture the flight data.

Apprehensions:

• BMD is ineffective against Cruise missiles. Both China and Pakistan have cruise missiles capable of delivering the nuclear payload.
• No BMD can have a 100% success rate in the interception of the projectile (ballistic missile).
• BMD is a very costly affair.
• Even after interception there remain chances of damage, especially if the interception is done in the terminal phase of the ballistic missile.

What’s Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) System?

• A Ballistic Missile Defence system (BMD) is a missile defense system that acts as a shield against ballistic missile attacks.
• You may not that the purpose is defense (by intercepting a ballistic missile) and not attack/offense.
• A ballistic missile can be intercepted in three phases:
• Terminal phase: During the atmospheric descent phase.
• Mid-course interception (in-flight interception): Most preferred interception.
• Lift-off phase: Targeting at the launch point- requires advanced radars.

Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme:

• The Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Program is an initiative to develop and deploy a multi-layered ballistic missile defense system to protect India from ballistic missile attacks.
• It was launched in 2000 after Kargil War by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
• India has an active ABM development effort using indigenously developed and integrated radars, and indigenous missiles.
• In November 2006, India successfully conducted the PADE (Prithvi Air Defence Exercise) in which an anti-ballistic missile, called the Prithvi Air Defence (PAD), an exo-atmospheric (outside the atmosphere) interceptor system, intercepted a Prithvi-II ballistic missile.

Development:

Phase 1

• The development of the anti-ballistic missile system began in 1999.
• Development of Phase-I was designed to track and destroy nuclear missiles both inside (endo) and outside (Exo) the earth's atmosphere at altitudes from 15-25 km to 80-100 km for “a higher kill probability”.
• Around 40 public and private companies were involved in the development of the systems.
• They include Ordnance Factory Board, Bharat Electronics Limited, and Bharat Dynamics among others.
• Defense Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) developed the mission control software for the AAD missile.
• As of April 2019, Phase 1 of the program has been completed.

Phase 2

• In Phase 2, two new anti-ballistic missiles that can intercept IRBMs are being developed.
• These high-speed missiles (AD-1 and AD-2) are being developed to intercept ballistic missiles with a range of around 5,000 km.

Two- tiers of India’s BMD